In football, baseball, basketball, track, and other sports, where the members of each of the participating teams wear identical uniforms and, thus, are not readily distinguishable, one player from the other, it has been common practice, for some time, to identify such players, one from the other, by assigning a different number to each player and placing such number on the back or front, or both the back and front, of the shirt, jersey, blouse or upper part of the players' uniform to be worn by the player and, often, jackets, robes and other accessories worn with the uniform. Such numbers have usually been sewn on such shirt, jersey, blouse or upper uniform part and such jackets, robes and accessories. Thus, such numbers are cut from cloth, positioned at the intended place on the shirt, jersey, blouse, etc., and sewn in place. Such cloth, and the cutting, positioning and sewing thereof on the shift, jersey, blouse, etc., adds to the cost of the uniform. To reduce such costs, such numbers, or other identifying indicia, are silk screen printed directly onto the cloth of the uniform shirt, jersey, blouse, and other accessories.
Because the number of team players on teams engaged in most sports are in excess of nine and, more commonly, less than one hundred, a numbering system, with numbers from zero and ninety-nine is most commonly employed. Providing a silk screen for each number, from zero to ninety-nine, add to the cost of silk screening. On the other hand, however, using silk screens for the individual numbers, zero to nine, and selecting, combining and aligning the selected numbers to provide the desired number and silk screening such selected numbers on the shirt, jersey, blouse, etc., to which the numbers are to be applied, requires considerable handling of such silk screens, alignment of the individual numbers and adds to costs of silk screening.
In the instant invention, many of the problems and costs heretofore encountered in the silk screening of numbers, or other indicia, on shirts, jerseys, blouses, etc., on uniforms and accessories are eliminated and the costs and handling of such silk screens and the carrying out of such silk screening is reduced. This is accomplished in the present invention by providing an apparatus in which silk screens are pivotally aligned in order, one silk screen behind the other on a screen support with the planes of the silk screens perpendicular to the plane of the platen upon which the article to be silk screened with the selected number is placed. The platen, with the article to be silk screened with a number thereon and the screen support, with the silk screens aligned in order thereon, one after the other, are moved relative to each other to bring the silk screen of one of the numbers selected to be applied to the article in substantial alignment with the article at the point where the silk screening is to take place. The silk screen is then pivoted on the silk screen support toward the platen and the article to which the selected number is to be applied and, when clear of the adjacent silk screens, is then pivoted so to be substantially parallel to the platen and the article. The arm upon which the selected silk screen is supported is then brought into the engagement with a silk screen guide on the platen support and the silk screen is guided into engagement with the article at the position where the number on the selected silk screen is to be applied to the article. With the silk screen in contact with the article, the number is silk screened onto the article. The silk screen arm, with the silk screen thereon, is pivoted away from the article, the silk screen is pivoted on the silk screen support so as to again be substantially perpendicular to the platen and into alignment with the silk screens at the opposite sides thereof. The platen and the silk screen support are again moved relative to each other to bring the silk screen with the next number to be applied to the article into position and the silk screen pivoting, engagement with the alignment means at the second position, positioning of the silk screen on the article and silk screening is repeated. After the next number is silk screened on the article, the silk screen is returned to its original, or rest position, in-line with the other silk screens, the article is removed from the platen, the next article to be silk screened is positioned on the platen and the operation is repeated.